Helpless Before You
by You.Can't.Hear.Me.Screaming
Summary: Mello x Matt. Misunderstandings can lead to a lot of confusion and a lot of pain for everyone. Mello learns this after meeting Matt's lifelong friend...And after making a friend of his own...
1. 1

**Helpless Before You**

He dialled in the same number yet again. But his ears went unsatisfied, as he heard the _all too familiar _dial tone. Angrily, he snapped his phone shut, and jammed it into his pocket. He'd left his key _to_ this house, _in_ the house. Now, he was locked out. No thanks to the idiot who'd told him to come over.

The brunette had asked him to spend the night, and then, he wasn't even home by the time the blonde got there. And the blonde had been sitting out in the rain for the past two hours, calling and leaving message, after message…

If he waited out in the chilly evening air - which didn't help when you mixed in the rain - much longer, he'd get hypothermia. Or pneumonia, or something. He wasn't even sure anymore. All he knew, was that it was cold, and wet out, and he wanted to go home.

He pulled out his cell phone, and dialled a new number.

--

When he was back inside his house, he locked the door behind him, and kicked off his shoes. He sauntered up the stairs, and into his room, to grab some fresh, dry clothes, and his towel. When he had what he needed in the washroom, he turned on the hot water, stripped down to nothing but skin, and stepped behind the curtain.

He poured shampoo into his hand, and scrubbed angrily at his nearly golden, blonde locks. He hated when things didn't go as planned. _Especially with the brunette._

He heard his phone ring, and scrubbed harder.

That was probably him. It wouldn't be a surprise. _How convenient. _The brunette haired idiot calls him back after he gets home, and into a nice, hot shower. After he spends two hours in the freezing, cold rain. He shivered, remembering the chills he'd had.

Silence surrounded him, as the melody stopped.

So he'd given up. _Good. _The blonde wasn't in his best mood after freezing himself half to death.

When the shower had ended, and he'd dried himself, and was in some nice, dry clothing, the blonde opened his cell phone.

_1 New Text Message._

So the brunette had made contact with him through a text message. He opened the text,

'_Hey, Mello. Sorry for not being here when you got here…I assumed you had your key…But, when I got here, you weren't even in the house. What happened?'_

He hit the reply button, and watched as a blank text screen opened. He was _angry. _He was getting more angry by the minute. He knew it didn't help when he got mad, and started sending angry messages. But, he'd waited in the cold for two hours. And the idiot hadn't even shown up.

'_Well, I do have a key, you're right. But apparently, you forgot that I forgot that key…In your room. And it's funny that you're contacting me now…After I waited for two hours in the rain and cold, for you to come home. Where the hell were you? Oh, and the reason I didn't answer you when you finally decided to contact me, was because I was in a shower, so I don't catch hypothermia, or pneumonia, or something else that's only going to have me feeling like hell.' _He hit the send button, and closed the phone.

He headed out of the washroom, and into his bedroom, shutting the door behind him. He pressed his forehead against the door, trying to gain some self control.

_Twirl, clank. Twirl, clank._

Something rotating, and then colliding into something, again and again.

He whirled around, and faced the chair beside his bed.

_His gaze was met with emerald eyes._

_Twirl, clank._

_Silence._

He moved slowly into the room, and sat on the edge of his bed. His feelings were all jumbled, and mixed together. He was still angry, but he felt so many other things along with that anger.

An extended fist, and he held out an open hand.

And then, there it was. The key to the house he'd waited outside of, for two hours. The key he wished he'd never forgotten at the house. The key that could have saved them both, a whole lot of trouble.

The brunette stood, and headed for the door,

"Sorry…For making you wait like that…"

He twisted the door handle, and pulled open the door, stepping out into the hallway.

"Where the hell were you?" The blondes voice stopped him in his tracks.

"I was with some old friends of mine…We got into talking, and we decided to head to a club…I told them I could only stay for a short amount of time, because I had someone coming over. They took my phone, and didn't tell me when it went off…They didn't mean any harm, I assure you. They just…Didn't know. They were only playing around with me - like old times…And in the end, I ended up leaving you in the rain to get soaked…You shouldn't have waited so long. _I'm not worth waiting for._"

So much was said in that simple ending line. The blonde stood up,

"Matt?"

"…Sorry." With this, the brunette headed down the stairs, and to the doorway. He slipped on his shoes, and headed outside, where the rain was beginning to lighten up ever so slightly. The blonde followed him down the stairs.

"Matt? Where are you going?"

The brunette was at his car door, holding it open for himself,

"Home." The brunette slid into his car. He watched the blonde close the door.

--

Matt was just going to go home?

What happened to them being together for the evening?

He'd thought the two of them could hang out. Maybe watch a couple movies together, talk…He was beginning to miss his endless nights of talking to Matt, about whatever came to mind. The guy seemed to have an answer to everything.

Generally, he wasn't an emotional person. He didn't cry. Not in front of anyone.

But right now, he couldn't stop himself from allowing tears to roll down his cheeks. He pulled out his cell phone, and opened a text message to the brunette. When he'd typed it out, he hit send, and closed his phone.

--

The melody played as he sat in the car.

He hadn't moved yet. He'd been too busy getting frustrated with himself. And when his phone rang, he flipped it open, and read the two simplest words that held so much meaning,

'_Come back.'_

Sighing, he closed his phone, and shoved it into his pocket. He stepped out of his car, and headed back up the driveway, towards the house. When he stepped through the door, and had it locked behind him, he kicked off his shoes. He went towards the staircase that lead upstairs, but was stopped.

_Something had a hold on his left arm. _

He turned his head, so he could get a better look at what exactly was holding him back. He wasn't too surprised to find a certain blonde haired male standing there, with his head bowed.

As gently as was possible, the brunette freed himself from the blondes grip. He then turned around to face him fully, and sighed,

"I came back. Did you have more you wanted to say?"

The blonde could tell from the way the brunette said this, that he had read the first text message the blonde had sent him.

The blonde shook his head, 'no.' The brunette sighed,

"Mello…"

His shoulders shook.

His body movements were giving him away. And the brunette couldn't help but see what was happening,

"Mello…Are you _crying?_"

"Why the _hell_ would I be _crying?_" He asked bitterly.

His voice deceived him. It cracked, and broke on the words. It trembled with the tears. He hated being emotional. And he'd never planned on crying.

_Especially not in front of Matt._

The brunette sighed,

"Look. I'm not mad, okay?" At this, the brunette stepped over to the blonde. He placed his left hand against the wall beside the male, and his right arm, around the blondes left shoulder, and up to the back of his head. He pressed his forehead to the blondes forehead, and closed his eyes.

Whether it was a conscious, or unconscious movement, Matt was stroking his fingers through Mello's hair…and Mello's cheeks burned in response. Matt sighed,

"Sorry…I kept you waiting for me…I didn't mean to…I should have told them no…"

"…Who were they?" Mello mumbled, setting his eyes downcast.

Matt's eyes flickered upwards, to Mello's face, a little surprised the blonde was getting worried about something like that. He closed his eyes again when he answered,

"Naomi, Seiko, and Haruka. People I've known a long time. You met Naomi and Seiko already."

Mello couldn't argue with this.

He knew Naomi, and Seiko. Though, Haruka was a mystery to him. They'd never met. He wondered just how long Matt had known her. He would have asked, but he didn't want to irritate the brunette again.

"Haruka and I have known each other our entire lives. My Mother had me a year before Haruka was born, and then, we went to visit Haruka's Mother in the hospital."

"How did…?"

"You're easy to read, Mello."

Mello's eyes flickered to the brunettes face,

"Your eyes are closed!"

"Like I said," the brunettes voice remained calm, as he opened his eyes, to look directly at the blonde before him,

"You're easy to read."


	2. 2

There it was again.

That annoying song refused to stop playing. Over and over.

_**Baby, you, got all the puppets with their strings up.**_

Who the hell was calling at this hour? What time was it anyways?

_**Fakin' like a good one, but I call 'em like I see 'em.**_

_**I know what you are, what you are, baby.**_

The blonde grumbled something incoherent, and squinted at his alarm clock. The sun was shining in through his window already.

_**Womanizer.**_

_**Woman-Womanizer.**_

_**You're a womanizer.**_

He groaned at the sight of the time.

Two in the afternoon.

But his bed was so _comfortable_, and he didn't feel like getting up.

Instead, he grabbed one of the pillows from his bed, and made sure to put a lot of force into the throw, as he whipped it towards the cause of the racket that had woken him. His ears caught the sound as it escaped the lips of his victim,

"_Ow! _What the…?"

Still leaning over his bed, the blonde glared down at the male on his floor,

"_Mail Jeevas," _he growled,

"If you don't answer that _goddamn_ cell phone, _right now_…I will shove that _dreaded thing _straight up you're a-"

"Okay, okay. Calm down, I'm answering." The brunette flipped open his cell phone, and pressed it to his ear,

"Hey Naomi."

"You're not at home, Matt."

It took the brunette a moment to respond,

"I'm supposed to be, aren't I?"

"You're lucky the other two aren't here yet."

"They're not…Wait, did I give you a key?"

"Not exactly."

"You know, pick-pocketing is seen as a bit of a _crime_ around here…"

"Well, I wanted to make sure I didn't have to sit outside on your porch, just in case you weren't home. So, I guess it's a good thing I took the spare key."

"I'll be home soon."

The blonde was still watching the brunette as he rose to his feet, and stretched. The brunette saw this, and looked over to the blonde,

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Don't lie to me."

"That stupid song is in my head, idiot."

The brunette laughed at this comment,

"Well, you threw a pillow at me, so I guess it's only fair that you now have the song in your head."

The blonde just glared.

The brunette returned to his cell phone conversation,

"Yeah, that was Mello. He's mad at me now, because your ring tone is stuck in his head."

"Did he really throw pillows?"

"Yeah. He threw _a_ pillow…But, that's just his way of showing _affection._"

The brunette dodged the next white, feather filled pillow that came hurtling towards his head. He was standing just outside of the door to Mello's bedroom. He poked his head back in, to look at the blonde, who sat, another pillow in hand, _waiting._

"Seriously, where do all of these pillows keep _coming from?_"

"Oh, go home, idiot!" The blonde whipped the third pillow at the brunettes head, but he moved out of the way just in time.

"Okay, I'm going, I'm going. What's that Naomi? Oh, I don't know…I'll ask."

Before poking his head back through the doorway, the brunette said,

"Okay, I have no white flag, but please, no more pillows."

"Fine."

"Okay," he peered into the room, to find the blonde unarmed,

"Do you want to hang out with all of us today?"

Mello wasn't sure how to answer to this. Of course he wanted to be around Matt as much as he most possibly could…He wouldn't mind seeing Seiko and Naomi again either…But…

But there was going to be a girl there, that he'd never met.

And yet apparently…S_he and Matt had grown up together._

"He's coming along," the brunettes voice broke Mello's train of thought.

He stared at him, unsure of how to respond. Since when had he _confirmed_ this information? Damn Matt, he was always doing these things. He asked if Mello wanted to go along, and then didn't give him a chance to answer. He just went on with confirming Mello's presence among the group.

--

They were sitting in the car, on their way to Matt's house, when the thought hit Mello.

"Hey, Matt?"

"Yeah?"

"Uh…Do Naomi and the others know about…?"

"Know about what, Mello?"

"…" The blonde didn't want to say it.

He ignored the topic as much as he could, because when he didn't talk about it…He felt like it wasn't there. Like one day, he'd just look in the mirror, and find out it was all just some illusion. As if it had never existed to begin with.

"Mello…" The brunette said his name so gently, the blonde almost missed it.

He realized why now. Unconsciously, his hand had drifted up to cover the left side of his face.

_To cover the scar._

"Mello, don't worry so much about your scarring, okay? I already told Naomi and the others that you have it, and that you really don't like to discuss the topic."

Mello's head shot up, and his left hand dropped to his lap. He faced the brunette, a little surprised that he'd done this for him, so that he wouldn't be stared at as much by Matt's friends. He hated people staring. Strangers bothered him because, although they usually didn't play much of a role in his life, it still hurt to have them staring.

Mello felt his stomach churn.

_Haruka was still a stranger to him._

--

"Welcome home, Matt!" Naomi greeted from the open doorway that lead into the living room.

"I see the others have arrived," Matt noted, nodding off towards the shoes that were all grouped together.

"Well, you took _long_ enough in coming _home_…" Naomi trailed her sentence, looking past Matt, to Mello, who had his head bowed so low that he knew no one would be able to see his face.

"Mello, I haven't see you in a long while now, how have you been?" Naomi questioned, her friendliness not leaving her voice for even a moment.

"I've had my days, but I'm alright."

"Naomi, why don't you go wait with the others…We'll be in in a few minutes," Matt's voice broke through the silence that had taken over.

"Sure thing, take your time," Naomi's voice encouraged, before she left the area, heading back into the living room.

Matt stepped over to the front closet. He shoved the few coats that hung there, over to the far side, before he turned around, grabbed Mello by the wrist, and lead him inside. He shut the door tightly behind him, and leaned against it.

Mello didn't raise his head.

"I'm the only one who can see you, so you don't have stare at the floor."

The blonde raised his head, but set his eyes downcast.

"What's wrong Mello?"

"…"

"You're worried about what they'll think?"

"…"

"You know, you can't leave the closet until you start speaking."

"…Idiot," Mello responded quietly.

"There, at least you got _something _out. Now, tell me what's on your mind."

"You already know what's on my mind."

"Look…They're not going to make a big deal out of this, okay?"

"How do you know?"

"Because, I know _them_," the brunette moved, to stand before the blonde, and rested his forehead against the blondes,

"And I know, that you are over thinking this whole situation."

"…" The blonde couldn't help it, his cheeks were burning again.

Whenever the brunette got himself this close to him…The blondes cheeks started burning, and his heart would hammer in his chest, until he thought it was going to tear through his skin.

"Now…I think, we should get out of the closet. And you, shouldn't worry so much, about them. Because they're still going to fully accept you."

"…"

The brunette opened the closet door, and stepped out. He looked to the blonde, who was still standing against the wall.

"Mello?"

The blonde followed him out, and allowed him to lead him into the living room.

"It's about time you joined us," Naomi's voice told them cheerfully, from the couch.

"Matt! I haven't seen you in some time!" Another female voice told him, from beside Naomi.

Mello didn't recognize her voice, so he assumed she must be Haruka.

"Yeah, it's been a while," Matt agreed, sinking into a cushion on a smaller couch nearby.

"And who's this?" The girls voice questioned, as Mello sat down next to Matt silently.

"This is Mello. He's a friend of mine…We've known each other since we were kids."

"Mello, long time, no see," a friendly male voice said from somewhere to Mello's right. Mello didn't need to look up to see who it was.

"Hi Seiko," he greeted, but he kept his eyes on the floor.

"Mello, they're not going to _bite_ you…So, stop studying my floor, please?"

Mello allowed himself to lift his eyes to gaze at the group around him.

He recognized Naomi, it was a little hard _not to. _She wasn't someone you could forget. She had shoulder length, layered, black hair, and dazzling green eyes. She was dressed in a tank top, which had black lace at the top and bottom of it, and the straps were made of the same material. The tank top itself was diagonally striped in black and white. She was also wearing a black skirt, that came to just above her knees, and she was wearing fishnet stockings.

The girl next to her, was dressed in a black t-shirt, with red designs of blood splatter all along it…And, written in the blood were the words; _blood lust_. She was also wearing a pair of jeans, with one belt looped through the belt loops to hold up her jeans, and another belt angled diagonally from her left hip, to her right thigh. She had blonde hair that came to halfway down her neck, and was styled in a short, but suiting manner. And her light blue eyes showed kindness towards everyone in the room.

Even Mello.

And next, in a big, cushiony chair, sat Seiko. He was Naomi's brother, so he too, had black hair, and the same green eyes that she did. Though, his hair was cut much shorter than hers was, and a little tousled. He had four ear piercing. One on each ear lobe. A bar piercing on his left ear that went from one side to the other, and on his right, a stud at the top. He was wearing a white tank top, and a big, baggy, black over coat. He was also wearing a pair of jeans.

Matt was standing up by now, and looking towards the open doorway that lead into his kitchen.

Mello's eyes followed Matt's gaze.

Standing there, was a male, who was slightly shorter than Matt, maybe up to the bottom of his ear in height, at least. He had blonde hair, which was tinged, ever so slightly, in a golden colour. He had shining blue eyes, which held chaos and yet, happiness. He was wearing a white t-shirt, and a black hooded, jacket-like, long sleeved shirt, plus a pair of jeans.

"Matt! You're back!"

"Well, don't just stand there _gawking_ at me! Don't I deserve a little more than that?" Matt teased.

The male smiled a slightly crooked grin. He ran over, and wrapped his arms around Matt's neck, burying his face in Matt's shoulder.

Despite the little crookedness that took hold of the males smile, he still had an extreme beauty about him. Slightly feminine, yet, distinctly male. His voice was somewhere along the line of soprano, but he didn't sound in the least bit childish, and he still maintained a boyish charm.

"Mello, you haven't met Kei-chan yet, have you?" Naomi questioned from across the room. She was indicating the girl beside her.

"No…" Mello trailed, his eyes drifting to the two girls, and back to Matt.

"Mello…_This, _is Haruka," Matt told him, moving the male to face Mello.

Haruka answered with a smile,

"Hi Mello! I've heard _a lot _about you…Matt talks about you _consistently!_"

Mello's cheeks were burning, and he bowed his head.


	3. 3

**Here he was. Sitting to the left of Matt, while Matt sat tucked between him and Haruka, who Matt was currently talking to. Up front in the drivers seat, sat Seiko. And, in another car, Naomi was driving with her girlfriend. **

**They were off to some **_**club.**_

**Mello personally had no interest in clubbing. But, Matt did, and Matt was who he was hanging out with. He could already hear the loud music. Was it even legal to have it so loud? He wasn't sure. He knew he'd end up **_**deaf**_** if he stayed too long. He'd have to find some way of worming his way out of **_**that**_** scenario.**

**He tuned everything out after a while. He could faintly hear that they were getting out of the car, so he allowed his body to slide out of the vehicle. Some people were staring at him as he passed. He couldn't blame them. If he wasn't used to the scarring himself, he would probably do the exact same thing. Unconsciously, his fingers brushed over the scar, remembering a time when he used to have smooth skin on both sides of his face. **

**Back in the days when his **_**personality**_** was the only **_**unappealing aspect **_**to who he was.**

**When they were in the club, Mello sat down at a table, signalling that the others should all go dance without him. He watched absentmindedly. Kei-chan and Naomi seemed to move with a synchronization that could only be described as a fluent, beautiful movement.**

**His gaze occasionally drifted over to the three males he'd arrived here with. Though every time this happened, he regretted it. It seemed that every time he looked their way, Matt and Haruka were dancing together. Eventually, he locked his icy blue gaze on the tabletop before him.**

**How long did he sit there like that?**

**It felt like he'd spent a while zoned out in that place in his mind. His own private fortress, where no one could reach him. **

**But then…**_**Someone brought him back down to Earth.**_

**A tap on his right shoulder, and he shifted his gaze over.**

**He didn't expect what he was now seeing. A male stood there, smiling a bit, and pointing towards a doorway that lead to an area away from all the noise. It looked like an arcade. Before he decided to go off with someone who didn't even know him, he decided it was only fair that this said person got to his full face, so that he wouldn't be surprised when they were under decent lighting.**

**Mello turned his head, to fully face the male before him.**

**His reaction was a little surprising.**

**He raise his eyebrows momentarily, then allowed them to return to their original position. And, he kept his genuine smile in place. Nothing about it seemed to change.**

**Mello stood to follow him.**

**--**

**When they'd gotten behind the closed door, the male turned to look at Mello once more.**

"**It was a little surprising to see you sitting all alone out there…I would assumed you would have wanted to dance with your friends…"**

**The voice of the male only added onto his appearance.**

**He had black hair in a disarray, and a bit longer than Seiko's hair was. His eyes were a rich amber-brown. He was wearing jeans, and a black t-shirt. He had a green, two sizes too big, sweater-jacket on overtop of it. His face held a very kind expression.**

**But as Mello studied him a little more closely, he couldn't help to notice something. **

**The male had a mark on the left side of his face, right underneath his eye. **

**Mello couldn't determine what had made the marking. But, it started off as a triangle, the top corner of which became a thin line ending halfway down his cheek.**

"**It catches everyone's attention," the unnamed male told him, his voice not showing anything but a kind tone. He didn't even seem **_**bothered.**_

**Mello averted his eyes,**

"**Sorry, I just-"**

"**It's fine," the male cut him off,**

"**You live with something like that long enough, and it becomes a natural reaction to have people staring in wonder, and surprise. I haven't properly introduced myself yet, sorry. My name is Taro."**

_**Taro.**_

**Someone as handsome as this, standing before him, speaking to him. Calm and friendly. Mello didn't even know what to think.**

"**I'm…I'm Mello," he finally managed to respond. He felt so ridiculous for not saying anything until that point. **

"**Mello?" Taro seemed to turn this over in his head for a moment, smiling all the while,**

"**Fitting," he finally decided.**

_**As if he knew automatically that it was an alias.**_

"**Well, seeing as you looked like you were about to die of boredom out there…I thought **_**maybe**_** you wouldn't mind coming in here instead. It's quieter than all that ridiculously loud music…And, I was kind of…**_**Abandoned,**_**" the male admitted, looking a little embarrassed. **

"**Why would…?"**

"**Oh, they weren't **_**friends**_** really…They just **_**pretended**_** to be friends to me…My Mother always **_**did tell me **_**that my heart was too big, and I wasn't being very cautious about the people I spent my time with. She was always **_**right**_** of course, but I can't help it. I always try to give people the benefit of the doubt…"**

**Mello didn't even know what to say. He was trying to come up with something that would possibly lighten the mood, but he knew he wasn't one to do that kind of thing…**

**Where was Matt when he needed his skills?**

**Mello cringed at the thought.**

_**Matt was outside those doors, dancing with Haruka.**_

"**Mello, is something bothering you?" Taro's voice came from a few feet in front of him.**

"**It's nothing," Mello snapped. He fought with himself internally before he spoke again,**

"**Look, I'm not trying to bite your head off here, but I tend to have a nasty temper. I've never been any good at controlling it, so if that's the kind of person you want to socialize with, then you ought to know what they're like in advance." **

**Taro surprised him by laughing.**

"**What the hell's so funny?!" Mello hollered.**

"**Sorry Mello…It's just…You're the first person to actually **_**warn me **_**of any negative personality traits."**

**Mello paused, thinking about this,**

"**Well, consider yourself lucky. Most people find out the **_**hard way.**_**"**

_**No. That's not what he meant…**_

"**I mean…Look, I suck at this **_**'meeting-new-people' **_**thing."**

**Taro just smiled,**

"**Then, I'll make it easy on you, how about a game?" He gestured to the rooms various selection of things to play.**

"**Air hockey," Mello chose automatically.**

"**Alright by me. Five dollars says you lose," Taro made the bet with a grin.**

_**Astounding.**_

**If Mello had thought before that Taro couldn't look anymore handsome…**

"**Heh. Five bucks says you're **_**wrong,**_**" he agreed to the challenge.**

**--**

**A few people were gathered around the table, as the two males struck the air hockey puck back and forth across the air hockey table at ridiculous paces. Each trying to score the next point to put them ahead. The first player to ten points won, and both of them were tied at eight. Mello came close to scoring the ninth point. But he missed the slot.**

"**Damn!"**

"**Close Mello, **_**close,**_**" Taro chuckled.**

**Mello smiled. A usual **_**rarity.**_

**Yet Taro brought out the smile ridiculously easily.**

**There was something in the tone of his voice, something in his smile, something in his eyes, Mello loved every bit of whatever it was he saw there. **

**Mello heard a satisfactory **_**thud, clank, clank, thud.**_

_**He'd scored the ninth point.**_

"**Oh, I'd better keep better guard now," Taro said, still grinning, he placed the puck back on the table and shot it towards Mello, who shot it back at him. The movements had everyone watching. **

**Who was going to win? Taro still had a chance of catching up, so long as Mello didn't score again. But Mello was in the lead, a point away from winning…**

_**Thud, clank, clank, thud.**_

**Mello grinned.**

**The air from the table stopped flowing out, and the audience who'd gathered clapped for the blondes win.**

"**Good game," Taro told him, reaching into his pocket, for his wallet. When he'd pulled it out, he pulled out five dollars, and handed it to Mello, before he returning his wallet to his pocket.**

**Mello pocketed the money, and smiled, **

"**Lets play something else…Not for cash this time."**

"**Sounds good to me."**

**--**

**They were sitting in seats meant to resemble those that belonged in race cars. They both had a steering wheel and a shift stick, as well as three buttons to choose which view they wished to see the game from.**

"**Oh no, **_**I'm**_** going to **_**win**_** this time!" Taro announced.**

"**When? You're stuck in the **_**field!**_**" Mello laughed.**

"**It's not my fault! **_**Someone**_** rammed me off the road, **_**into**_** the field…And now I keep hitting cows…Which apparently **_**blow up **_**when you hit them!"**

"**Who knew?"**

**Mello didn't remember the last time he'd had this much fun. Lately things had been going down the drain. But Taro was something positive that had come along on this bumpy path, to smooth things out. Mello had just met him, so he didn't know much about him…But he knew he wanted to know **_**more. **_

**--**

**After wasting a bunch of money on games, they'd settled down at the bar, to have something to drink. Taro had decided to pay, though Mello had tried to refuse. And now both of them sat there with a nice, cold, alcoholic beverage. **

'**I didn't think I'd get so carried away with someone I've never met before…Usually Matt has to introduce me to people, because I'm too…I don't know how to explain how I am, but I bother others, and that keeps them away from me…'**

"**Mello? You okay?"**

**His voiced pulled Mello from his reverie. **

"**Yeah, I'm fine. Look, thanks, for tonight…"**

"**No problem. Look, we could always do this again…I come here a lot, so if ever you and your friends come around here again…And you're not up to the dancing…"**

"**I'll let you know," he answered automatically. Mello shocked himself. **

**How long had it been since he'd felt this good?**

**A melody started playing, dragging Mello back to Earth for a moment. Reluctantly, he pulled out his cell phone, and flipped it open.**

_**One New Text Message From…**_

**He shut the phone.**

**He turned his head to look at Taro, who he found watching him, with rather amused eyes. He didn't speak, he just appeared to wait for Mello to return to that other planet they'd been floating on.**

**Mello accepted this, and allowed himself to go back to where they'd left off, handing Taro his cell phone. Taro pulled out his in return, and handed it to the blonde. Without needing instructions, Taro flipped open Mello's phone, and went to add himself as a contact.**

"**What ringtones do you have on this thing?" He asked casually. **

"**Uhm, I don't remember, but you can check my downloaded ones if you want."**

**Mello typed in his alias name on Taro's cell.**

"**Mind if I do a song transfer? I know a good English song I have on my phone…I've become attached to it, even though it's a little feminine…" Taro admitted embarrassed. **

**Mello just handed back the phone after saving the information.**

**He watched as Taro riffled through his own cell, looking for that song, then he pressed some buttons, and connected the cords ends to each phone. A minute passed before he unplugged Mello's cell, and put his phone on the tabletop, the cord still hanging from it.**

"**Now, I'll assign this song specifically to my number, so if I call, or text you, you'll know it's me." When it was all over, he handed the phone back to Mello, and took his own off the table, programming the same song to Mello's number.**

"**There, it matches now."**

**Mello's phone went off, playing a familiar tune.**

"**Your friends are waiting," Taro stated. He didn't seem to need to ask.**

"**Yeah. They're getting impatient," Mello muttered, flipping open the phone. He hit the 'talk' button,**

"**Yeah Matt?"**

"**Mello! Where did you disappear off to…We've been looking for you!"**

"**Where are you guys?"**

"**We're sitting in the car right now, waiting for you…I sent you a text message…"**

"**Oh. Right. I'll be out soon then, just give me a minute."**

**Mello hung up, not waiting for a reply.**

"**I have to go," he informed Taro reluctantly. **

"**We'll be in touch," Taro reminded him, holding up his cell phone.**


	4. 4

**It was quiet in the car. It almost felt **_**too quiet.**_

**Mello was sitting in the front passengers seat. Seiko and Haruka were in the backseat. Haruka had dozed off, and was resting his head against Seiko's shoulder. The girls were in Naomi's car, in front of them.**

**That left one person to drive.**

_**Matt.**_

"**So, where were you for the past three hours?"**

"**I went to the arcade at the back."**

"**The arcade?"**

"**Yeah, I didn't feel much like dancing, so I found another way of entertaining myself, okay?" Mello didn't know why he felt so mad, he just did. Why was it Matt's business anyways? He knew Mello wasn't much of a dancer, and yet he'd dragged him off to a dance club.**

_**Though Mello did feel grateful that tonight he'd done so…**_

"**Sorry," he mumbled.**

**A sigh,**

"**Mello…"**

"**I'm just tired. Sorry, I didn't mean to snap like that," Mello apologized again.**

**What had gotten into him? He hadn't even looked at Matt once yet. Not since he'd seen him dancing with…**

**He closed his eyes tightly, trying to force it from his mind. It shouldn't matter so much to him. He scanned his mind for a better thought. Something happy. Something…**

_**Taro. **_

**He opened his eyes, content.**

"**What are we up to for the rest of the evening?" He questioned, this time he looked to Matt.**

**The brunettes brow had furrowed, and his eyes were focused on the road, more so than they truly needed to be. Usually he didn't have so much concentration going into driving. He just concentrated enough to keep them on the road, at a safe speed, without causing accidents. But this…**

"**Matt?"**

"**Well, we were going to go to my house. Everyone planned to spend the evening…But if you have somewhere you'd rather be…"**

"**No, no. I'll come along." **

**There was nothing but the silence around them.**

"**Matt, you need to lighten up, unless you want wrinkles from that expression," Seiko commented quietly from the backseat. He'd said it just loud enough to hear, so as to not wake Haruka.**

**Matt allowed his eyebrows to smooth out, but he was clenching his grip on the steering wheel.**

"**You know, talking things out would be healthy for the two of you…" Seiko added in.**

"**I'll keep that in mind for a more private moment, Seiko," Matt informed him sharply.**

"**Don't get mad at the bystander, Matt," a new voice spoke.**

**Matt's eyes shifted to the rearview mirror. Blue eyes were watching his reaction there.**

"**Sorry, Seiko. And thank you, Haruka," Matt spoke again, more gently this time.**

"**No problem," Seiko informed, he didn't seem to mind that Matt had almost chewed his head off.**

"**When we get to Matt's, we should all settle down together, and watch a movie!" Haruka suggested, trying to brighten up the conversation a bit.**

"**What kind of movie, Haruka?" Seiko questioned, looking over to the mop of hair at his shoulder.**

"**Hm, that's a good question. There's so many genres! Horror, fantasy, comedy, romance, action…What is everyone in the mood for?"**

"**Well, Naomi will just be happy to have something making noise, and to cuddle up with her girlfriend. So, whatever we end up choosing will work, I'm sure," Seiko put in, knowing his sister well.**

"**Hm, what do you think Mello?" Haruka questioned.**

**Mello wasn't used to Haruka speaking to him just yet, but he turned in his seat anyways to communicate with him better, **

"**I'm a bit of a horror movie fanatic, personally."**

"**I like horror movies too, but sometimes they creep me out…But I love getting scared, as long as I'm not scared alone!"**

**And so the movie conversation continued. Everyone seemed in favour of a horror film.**

**--**

"**Mello, a word please." Matt's voice spoke up as they all stepped out of the car. Naomi and Kei were already at the door, waiting. Seiko and Haruka stopped midway to them, and turned to look at Mello and Matt.**

"…"

"**The rest of you can go on ahead. Naomi can let you in, she has a spare key."**

**Seiko nodded, pulling Haruka along by the wrist gently. The four entered the house, shutting the door behind them.**

**Mello didn't speak. He wasn't even sure what it was he was supposed to say, if anything at all. Matt was looking at him, watching him. Studying his face, his expression. But Matt wasn't speaking a word to him at all. It hurt Mello, watching Matt study him. The expression on his face showed Mello that his brunette friend was suffering some internal pain that the blonde could not even begin to imagine. All around them, the silence spoke. **_**But their lips never moved.**_

**Matt didn't speak. Instead, he sighed, then turned towards the house, and started walking.**

**Mello balled his hands up into fists. Why wasn't that goddamned brunette speaking to him? He wasn't just going to sit here and take this. He ran after him until he reached the door, where the brunette had paused. **

"**What the hell, Matt?! First you say you want a word with me, then you walk away and don't even speak!" Mello announced, angrily.**

"…"

"**MATT!" He roared angrily. Why wouldn't damn brunette just speak to him already? Couldn't he tell that all he was doing was making him angry?**

**Two hands planted themselves on the door, on either side of the blonde. Mello stared. How could he not? He was realizing all over again exactly why he was so fond of Matt physically. **

**Of course he liked him beyond that too, but right now…**

**The brunettes hair was swaying ever so slightly from the breezes passing over them. His eyes were locked on Mello's. Fierce, piercing. His lips had opened the slightest bit, as if he wanted to speak, but was currently trying to think of how to word it. His brow was tilted a little, furrowing ever so slightly. His shirt held his figure securely, showing that his body was something **_**glorious, **_**whether he had material **_**covering it**_**, or **_**not. **_**His strong, long arms, were currently trapping Mello in a barrier.**

**The blondes cheeks turned pink. How could they not? Here was Matt, the **_**glorious**_** best friend. The **_**gorgeous, beautiful creature **_**Mello spent so many days and nights trying to figure out.**

**A smile graced Matt's lips,**

"**Well, that's a little bit better," he told the blonde softly.**

"**What's all this about?" Mello questioned quietly. **_**Damnit. **_**Apparently he'd lost his voice somewhere in realizing that Matt was perfect…**_**Again.**_

"**You disappeared earlier, and I got worried. Why didn't you just tell me you were going to the arcade? Or, at least answer my text…"**

"**I didn't really plan on it…Someone else came along, and we ended up going together," Mello admitted, looking down to his feet.**

**Matt paused, thinking about that. He wasn't used to someone else being interested in Mello. At least, not romantically. Usually, Mello was **_**his, **_**and **_**his alone**_**. No one messed with their bond, and that worked out nicely for the both of them.**

_**But someone had come along…**_

"**Next time, just answer to my text, alright? That way, I'm not going into a panic about why it is you're suddenly missing." At this, Matt moved his arms away, and pulled out a cigarette, lighting it.**

"**Am I free from interrogation then?" Mello joked lightly.**

"**Yeah. You can go inside now. But, do me a favour…Ask Naomi to come out here for a few. Tell her I need to have a word with her."**

**The blonde looked up, trying to see if he could find a trace of what was troubling Matt in the brunettes eyes. But the emerald orbs were on their guard, protecting the words that had been left unspoken.**

**--**

"**Mello, you're alive!" Seiko joked from the chair he'd been in earlier.**

"**Yeah, I still have my skin," Mello joked, he looked to Naomi,**

"**Naomi?"**

"**Yes Mello?"**

"**Matt says he'd like a word with you. **_**Outside.**_**"**

**She didn't need anything more than that. She stood, told her girlfriend she'd be back in a few, and headed outside.**

**--**

**He was leaning against the front of his house. Cigarette hanging from his lips as he seemed to stare up at the never ending sky.**

"**Something bothering you, Matt?"**

**He didn't move.**

"**He was with someone else tonight," Matt stated.**

"**I thought I saw him go into the arcade with a guy."**

**Matt shifted his eyes to her,**

"**Guy?"**

"**Well, yeah…Some dark haired, cute guy. He didn't belong in a club like that one, he was **_**really attractive. **_**But…He seems like one of those guys that's just **_**overly decent. **_**You could sense it from the distance."**

"**Hm."**

**She sighed,**

"**Look, I know he's your little **_**pet**_** here, but you should have known that he was going to grow out of that shell…"**

"**Is he a person, or a hermit crab, Naomi?" Matt teased.**

"**You **_**know**_** what I meant," she warned,**

"**Look, you knew as well as I did that something like this was bound to happen sooner or later."**

"**Mm," he agreed, returning his gaze to the sky.**

"**Look Matt, Mello and you have been friends for a very long time. Since you were children. You introduced him and Haruka just recently. And in a sense, I understand why you did that. My guess would be that you worried exposing Mello and Haruka to each other would increase their chances of bonding and becoming **_**more than friends. **_**So, you **_**ensured**_** that Mello and you were attached at the hip. It's so **_**obvious**_** that you love Mello as much as you do…And yet, since Haruka came back into the picture…Mello has been cast aside, as though he suddenly isn't as important. Are you trying to make sure that Haruka and Mello don't fall in love? Because, to Mello, I'm sure it looks like you and Haruka are…"**

"**What do you mean, he thinks Haruka and I are a…?"**

"**That's **_**exactly**_** what I'm saying! You're too **_**protective, **_**Matt. Mello became trapped, wanting you, and **_**only you **_**for so long, by what I can see. But as soon as Haruka appears…Mello's existence is no longer there…Hence I didn't say anything when Mello made a new friend."**

"…**So, basically, I dug my grave?"**

"**And planted yourself in it."**

**He sighed,**

"**So, what do I do?"**

"**Well…There's nothing for you **_**to**_** do. Just be friends to them both, accept Mello's decisions if he **_**does**_** end up liking this new guy as **_**more than a friend**_**, and, hope for the best. Sometimes Matt, that's all we **_**can**_** do."**


	5. 5

"How's the movie selection going on in here?" Naomi questioned, as she and Matt stepped back into the house.

"It seems we'll be watching a horror movie, Nao-chan," Kei commented from one of the couches.

"Ah, which one?" Naomi asked, a smile spreading over her face.

"This one!" Haruka held up the movie for her to see.

The cover in itself showed that it was meant to be about some kind of disease.

"So, lets set ourselves up on these couches! Kei and I will share the smaller one!" Naomi announced cheerfully.

"Dibs on my chair," Seiko told them with a bit of a smile.

Mello took a seat on one end of the couch, near Seiko's chair. Matt sat at the other end of the couch, and Haruka sat with him. Matt was allowing this, because Haruka sometimes scared easy.

The movie played, and everyone fell into the natural trance of watching.

But among the trances, there were other thoughts passing through.

How could he just allow these things to happen? How could he allow Mello to think that there was a chance that Haruka and him were…Well, when he looked at how they were currently positioned, with Haruka basically in his lap…He had to admit, it did _look_ like they could be a couple. But there was no way! They were good friends, _best _friends, but that was it! And _how_ could he simply sit back and watch as Mello was _- possibly - _liking someone else? _No. _They had just met. They had to become good friends first…But even _that _probably wouldn't take them long…

Matt was frustrated with all these damn thoughts going through his head. He was usually rational, but when it came to Mello, sometimes he lost that rationality.

The blonde sat a couple of cushions away, trying to make himself look perfectly at ease. He seemed to be doing rather well.

It would all be okay. He would make this work out. He could handle being without the brunette…And besides, he seemed content with…

He grit his teeth.

'_Control it. Calm down. So what if he's with someone else? It's not like it's the end of this friendship.' _He set his mind into an easing state with these calming thoughts. He needed this self control more than he needed anything else.

_Buzz, buzz, buzz._

He flipped it open, discreetly, for the second time.

A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he read the words.

'_Oh, you mean I'm making you vibrate? You're a sick man, Mello :P' _

Maybe…

Maybe things wouldn't turn out too badly after all…

--

Sitting in his apartment, he read the first text message he'd received from the blonde.

'_Feel free to message me, I'm at Matt's, with the group. We're watching a movie, so I had to put my phone on vibrate. I've got too much going on in my head right now to really focus on the movie, so if you're reading this, you'd better reply, or I won't call you. :P'_

He chuckled at the seemingly innocent threat. And, as ordered, he typed a reply.

Now, he sat, looking around at his surroundings. His eyes switched from some randomized television show, to the pictures of his family and friends that lined the shelf above the television.

'_What would she think?' _He pondered, looking to the image of his younger sister,

'_What would she think, if she saw what I was doing?'_

At that point, his phone went off

'_I'm sick? Says the one who thought of it that way…In the movie some guy just got attacked by someone infected with this disease…And out of the group I'm with right now, almost all of the others screamed, or at least jumped…I just laughed.'_

He smiled at the reply. Their conversations were so simple, and yet, he found himself _dying_ to hear from the scarred blonde male he'd met earlier that evening.

--

It didn't seem to be very late when everyone felt tired. But they were all craving sleep.

"Okay, Naomi and Kei, you two can have the smaller of the two guestrooms, because I'm sure you two won't mind sharing the bigger bed in there," Matt teased.

Kei turned a few shades of pink. Naomi's cheeks were slightly pink, but she rolled her eyes at Matt,

"You just wish we'd make you some _porn._"

Matt went to respond, but Seiko cut him off, laughing,

"Alright, before a riot starts, finish the sleeping plans, _please._"

"Right. Well, I have another guest room, which has two separated beds in it…I was thinking you and Haruka could share that room. Mello and I can sleep in my room."

Mello's head snapped up, and he looked to the brunette automatically, the orbs were still guarded. Mello's attention turned to Naomi, across the room, who looked just as surprised as Mello felt. Lowering his head, he tried not to over think anything.

"Aww, what happened to us sharing your room, like old times!" Haruka playfully complained.

"Sorry Haruka…"

"Haruka and you could share your room, Matt. I'm sure Seiko won't mind bunking with me for one night," Mello spoke up from across the couch.

"Seiko?" Matt questioned.

The male shrugged,

"Doesn't bother me any."

"_Really?! _Sorry about this Seiko, it's not that I was trying to get out of it, or anything…Next time I'll bunk with you, okay? And, thanks Mello, that was nice of you…"

--

As he lie there, he stared at the wall. Was he playing match maker or something now? He'd purposely gotten himself out of sleeping in Matt's room, just to avoid him…But in the process, he'd swapped with Haruka, who was obsessed with Matt…Would Matt go for Haruka?

He shoved the thoughts away.

No way would Matt move along so easily. He didn't play games with people. After showering Mello with as much attention as he did, he couldn't just haul off and…

"You're wrong about him, you know," the voice told him from across the room.

"Wrong about who?" Mello grumbled into the darkness, trying to sound like he'd been on the verge of sleeping. It came out wrong, and he just sounded mad again.

"You know damn well," the voice told him. Not in anger, but more of a scold. A _'please-I-see-right-through-this-act-of-yours' _kind of scold.

"…Where am I wrong?"

"You're just wrong about this whole Matt and Haruka thing. They've always been this close…You're just not used to seeing it."

Mello didn't know what to make of that.

Seiko ought to know all this…He'd seen the two together before. But if there wasn't anything romantically going on between Matt and Haruka, then why had Matt waited so long to bring in the introduction? Wasn't he Matt's best friend too?

Seiko sighed,

"It's not too late you know…I could always tell Matt to switch the sleeping arrangements, if you don't want to do it yourself…"

"…"

Seiko sat up in his bed across the room, and sighed. This guy was more confusing than he remembered. When did he get to be so…? He didn't even know the word for this.

"Mello?"

"What?"

"What are you thinking about?"

"…What?" Mello didn't know how to answer to that. He liked Seiko, sure, but they didn't get down to personal levels. At least, not something as personal as Mello's thoughts…

"Well, if you want to talk to someone about it…I'm good at keeping my mouth shut, so I figured maybe you'd want to let go of some of the stress, or something…" Seiko told him easily. It was obvious that he was only trying to help…

"Look, I don't like talking to anyone about my feelings, okay? I don't even like talking to _Matt_ about them, and it's _rare_ that I _do. _I don't know why everyone is doing this to me…" Mello's voice wasn't quiet, as Seiko's had been, it was a louder tone, though he wasn't quite yelling.

"What do you mean? Doing what to you?" Seiko questioned, not loosing his head like Mello tended to.

"Looking at me like I'm some broken mess…Asking me what's going on consistently…No one cared so much before about how I felt, so why should they now? It's no one's business! And look, I'm not trying to bite your head off, or anything, but I just can't take this! I feel like everyone is just assuming everything is-!"

There was a sharp knock at the door.

The room fell silent. Mello slid himself from beneath the covers, and walked over to the door, seeing as he was closest to it anyways.

"What?" He questioned, not opening the door.

"Mello, can I come in?" Haruka's voice questioned from behind the door.

Confused, the blonde blinked, and hesitated. What was this about?

He opened the door, and saw the paler male standing there, looking worried.

Mello stepped aside, letting him step into the room. The male sat on the edge of Mello's bed.

"I could hear you two fighting," Haruka explained gently.

"Sorry, Haruka, I kind of provoked the fight," Seiko lied easily. Mello knew it wasn't true…He just had a nasty temper. Why was Seiko lying for his benefit? He didn't need to do that…Mello should be the one admitting to the yelling. That way, he could get this kid out of here, and go to sleep.

The silence seemed endless…

Then, Haruka stood abruptly, and walked back over towards Mello, who took a step back unconsciously.

"Mello? I don't know exactly why you two were fighting…But you shouldn't fight. Fighting only ends up hurting people in the end, you know?"

"Uh…"

Haruka walked closer, and Mello found himself backing up more. He was practically out the door, and he wasn't even sure why he felt so intimidated by Haruka at that point. It wasn't that he looked angry, or was threatening him.

He just seemed to be getting into Mello's personal bubble.

"And Mello?"

"…Yeah?"

Haruka's face turned guilty, and Mello couldn't for the life of him understand why. This kid hadn't done anything wrong…Mello was just a bit of a distanced person. Especially to people he didn't know.

"Uhm, I'm sorry…In advance," Haruka told him, looking to the floor.

Mello didn't know what to make of that statement. What was Haruka even apologizing for?

This kid was weirder than Mello had first thought.

Before Mello could come up with a response, he felt a pressure, felt his feet moving, heard a door slam, and lock slide into place. It all happened so fast that Mello was left dumbfounded for a moment. He turned to face the door.

His gaze was met with emerald orbs.

_His mind was blank and the emptiness was screaming._

"You'd better start talking," the voice ordered from across the room.

Mello opened his mouth to reply, but he found that no words were coming out. _Why? _Why couldn't he answer? He closed his mouth again, and swallowed hard, before trying again.

But when his lips parted, he found that once again, no sound was exiting his lips, and he couldn't quite understand why…He closed his mouth once more.

The brunette sighed,

"Mello…"

The blonde set his own blue gaze on the floor,

"Look, I don't know what everyone's issue is. I'm fine. So why do people keep asking about me?"

"Because we care, Mello. That's what friends do. That's what best friends, like myself, are _supposed_ to do," Matt said, sounding frustrated,

"Or did you _forget_ who was the first person to the hospital when you got your _scar?_"

The ending sentence was said with an icy after bite. One Mello wasn't used to Matt using. The blonde didn't know what to say. Why was he so mad? What had he done that had gotten Matt so uptight?

The brunette sighed, as if he'd just realized how he'd sounded. He then grabbed a pillow from the bed, and some blankets from his closet. Mello just stood there, watching him, waiting for him to drop the items on the floor, and to tell Mello to just go to sleep, that they'd speak later.

'_Why isn't he moving?' _Matt thought, as he dropped the things in a heap on the floor. He approached Mello, placing a hand on Mello's left shoulder gently,

"Mello? I'm sorry, for how I sounded. I know it's not like me to snap."

"Yeah, everyone leaves that for _me,_" Mello replied, sounding upset.

"Mello…" Matt took hold of Mello's other shoulder, and gently led him to the bed. He sat him down on the edge, and kneeled in front of him, looking up at his face.

"I think it's because you don't have much interaction with too many people…You never did…I mean, growing up, it was basically you and me, and that was it…"

Mello knew all too well that Matt had been his only friend growing up. Mello hadn't actually always been like this…But it had developed over time, and he couldn't seem to stop.

_It was the part of him that he would always hate._

Matt moved away, setting up a place to sleep on the floor. Then, he hung his goggles on the bedpost, flicked off his light, and climbed under the covers he'd set up on the floor.

Mello waited for his eyes to adjust in the dark, and once they had, his question came,

"Why are you…?"

"Because I know you too well."

The blonde climbed under the covers, and lied down. He could only manage a mumbled 'thanks,' because he didn't know what to say.


	6. 6

**The past couple of months had been the same routines, again and again.**

**The group got together, they hung out, then they'd end up going to the club at least twice throughout the weekdays and twice over the weekend.**

**And every time they went, Mello never once set foot on the dance floor. Instead, he headed into the arcade, where Taro would already be waiting for him.**

**Asides from their meetings at the arcade, the two met up at least twice a week, on the days that the group either didn't come together, or didn't go to the club. Those days, Mello and Taro spent endless hours of talking, and laughing.**

**The first time Mello had laughed, it had shocked them both.**

**It had just been a bit of a chuckle, really, but it was still a surprise, because Mello was usually scowling.**

**But Taro had done a lot of good for him. He made him smile, and laugh. Mello didn't seem to be yelling so much anymore. Sure, he still yelled, but not as much as he had before.**

**And being around Taro so much, left little time for a certain brunette…**

_**But things changed. **_

**Matt had become fed up, and insisted on having Mello over, consistently. When his other friends had left, Mello ended up trapped in the brunettes home. No matter how hard he tried, for some reason, he couldn't get out. The brunette always ended up blocking his path. They'd argue, and fight. **

_**But Matt didn't let him do anything but stay.**_

**Mello was losing his nerve. He longed for Matt's friends to arrive, so he could leave and be around Taro, who seemed attached. But at least he wasn't controlling him.**

**Mello spent endless hours texting the male. Hell, if he was going to be locked away like some kind of storybook Princess and **_**tortured**_** half to death, he might as well talk to **_**someone.**_

**--**

**It happened one night, while Mello was texting Taro, while sitting in the large window, looking outside. He hadn't been expecting anything really, but an **_**all-too-familiar **_**car drove up into the driveway. It was black, the windows tinted, and two people stepped out of it once it had been parked.**

"**What are they doing here?" He wondered aloud. He watched them until he couldn't see them, and a moment later, heard pounding on the door.**

**Good old Naomi, count on her to make an entrance.**

**He heard the door open, heard the girls enter, and then heard one of them practically yelling…**

"**What the hell are you **_**thinking,**_** Matt?!"**

"**What are you talking about, Naomi?"**

"**You know damn well what I mean! What is all this **_**locking-up-Mello **_**business?! He's not a **_**prisoner!**_**"**

"**I have no idea what you're referring to," Matt retorted,**

"**He's not even here."**

**This was a perfect cue. The blonde crept over and out through Matt's bedroom door, and peered over the railing,**

"**Hi Naomi!" He called down.**

**She and Kei looked up to him, and so did Matt. Matt looked pretty mad.**

"**Not here, huh Matt?" Naomi questioned, facing him once more.**

"**I don't see how this is any of your business…"**

"**Look Matt, you don't own him, okay? He has a **_**life. **_**And he's a big boy, who can take care of himself," as she said this, she handed Kei her keys, and signalled for her to go upstairs. Then, grabbing hold of Matt's shoulders, she shoved him down onto a couch, and glared.**

"**I don't know what caused you to lose yourself, Matt. You're not the guy I knew. And you're **_**definitely **_**not acting **_**anything**_** like the guy I called a **_**best friend.**_**"**

**--**

"**Hey there Mello, we're here to rescue you," Kei told him swiftly, as she headed towards the bedroom,**

"**Mind as well pack up."**

**He nodded, not needing anything more than that. He retreated into the bedroom, gathering his things together onto the bed, before packing them away into his duffel bag. Kei waited patiently in the doorway, listening to Naomi and Matt arguing downstairs.**

**Mello slung the bag over his shoulder,**

"**There."**

"**Alright, lets get out of here," Kei told him, leading him down the staircase. Mello followed, only a stairs space behind her.**

**When they reached the bottom, Kei turned to Naomi, but signalled for Mello to go outside and put his bag in the car. Mello got one last look, and saw Matt, who looked afraid…And angry…**

"**I'll be back for you when I've dropped him off?" Kei questioned, registering Matt's expression.**

"**Yeah, go on ahead for now," Naomi confirmed.**

**Kei complied, and walked out the door.**

**Matt turned his attention back to Naomi.**

"**Matt, sometimes I just can't believe you! You used to be so calm, and collected! Now look at you! You look like you're ready to go on a killing spree, or something!"**

**He tried to get a control over his breathing.**

"**Listen, Matt…Mello can't be locked away like this…Not only is it **_**wrong, **_**but it's also a bit **_**creepy**_**…You're being **_**way**_** too over protective."**

"**And what would you do, if Kei was attracted to someone else, and you loved her as you do now, but you two weren't dating?" He asked darkly.**

**Naomi sighed,**

"**I'd let her do as she pleases, because that would show her that I care enough to want her happiness above that of my own…Even if it hurt me, even if it tore me apart…Even if I wanted to **_**die**_** because she **_**loved another **_**instead of **_**loving me**_**…**_**I'd let go. **_**Because it proves that I understand her feelings, and it shows her that I'd always be there as a shoulder to cry on…A best friend…"**

**Matt sighed, looking down towards his floor.**

**--**

"**So, where do you live?" Kei questioned, needing directions.**

"**I don't want to go home…And my friend just asked me over…"**

**Kei hesitated, but decided that maybe it would be better for Mello to go to a friends, and not straight home, where Matt could easily find him.**

"**And where does your friend live?"**

**--**

**As they pulled up into the huge parking lot, near the main entrance of the towering apartment complex, Mello looked at the window. He'd never actually been in such a tall building before…How many people lived within its structure? He could only imagine. Moving down the building, his eyes fell on the main doorway, where he saw a male exiting the building, and heading their way.**

_**Why did he always have to look so glorious?**_

**The male was at the drivers side window, and Kei had rolled her window all the way down.**

"**Hey Mello! So, you've escaped huh?"**

"**He had some assistance," Kei added in, looking over to the male at her window.**

"**Thanks, what would I do without you?" Taro questioned, looking to the girl with gratitude.**

"**Lets hope you never have to find out," she teased.**

"**You're the best Kei, really, you are."**

**Mello just sat there, watching as the two conversed. **

**How did Taro know her name? Well, maybe he'd mentioned her name in the texts, or something…He had to have done that…He remembered telling the male who he'd been with, but because he and Kei rarely conversed, he couldn't remember if he'd written her down as, "Naomi's girlfriend," or written in her actual name…**

"**Mello?" Taro questioned.**

**The blonde looked to the one addressing him, still frustrated from his confusion.**

"**Something wrong?"**

"**How do you two…?" He still couldn't remember if he'd mentioned her name, or not…**

"…**Know one another?" Kei finished, then glared playfully at Taro,**

"**And you didn't tell him?"**

'_**Tell me? Tell me what?' **_

"**Well, I thought I did…Mello, Kei is my younger sister."**

_**Well, he sure hadn't seen that one coming…**_


	7. 7

He pressed the 'end' button, ending the sound of the answering machines voice. Okay, so Mello wasn't answering his home phone, nothing unusual about that. Typing in the cell number, he listened to the sound of the rings, but the rings ended and he was told to _'leave one after the tone.' _Sighing, he hung up.

So Mello wasn't answering his cell phone, but big deal, he had to be more understanding…Mello was probably mad at him for doing that to him…Locking him up…Tearing them apart by becoming someone he'd never been before…

He dialled the number again.

--

The melody started playing again.

'_Damnit, he's relentless…' _The blonde thought bitterly, clenching his teeth together.

"Matt again?" Taro questioned from beside him on the couch, and the blonde nodded, closing the phone.

"He doesn't give up," he half growled, glaring at his cell phone.

Taro chuckled at this reaction, as he busied himself with his own cell.

A melody played through Mello's phone, but it didn't belong to Matt…

_**I wish the stars would turn you in, and leave me standing in the wind.**_

_**I wish the devil gave you up, and all the snow would melt and stop.**_

_**This is it, I can't run away…**_

_**You're controlling my life, and I can hear me say…**_

'_**Cause I-yi-I-yi-I, can only lose.**_

_**When I-yi-I-yi-I'm…**_

_**I'm Aquarius~!**_

Mello just sat there, staring at the phone, the song ended after he opened the message,

'_I told you it was a feminine ringtone…'_

He closed his phone, looking over to Taro. He couldn't help himself…He started chuckling again,

"_That's_ your _ringtone?!_"

"Hey now, it's not _that_ funny!" Taro said, trying to defend himself, but he joined in on the laughter.

"Yeah, right!"

A melody played, and Mello stopped laughing, looking to his phone in frustration.

And then, it was gone, the melody sounded until he heard the phone snap shut, heard a few beeps as the volume was changed to vibrate, and then saw the phone reappear on the coffee table.

Taro sighed,

"Your friend seems to have a personal vendetta against me," he noted with a bit of a smile.

"Matt's _highly_ over protective," Mello told him, still looking mad that his phone had gone off.

"He's probably worried about why you're not answering your phone…"

"Who cares why I'm not answering! I haven't done anything _wrong_ here! I'm sitting here, with you, and we're talking, _so what? _Big deal! What's it got to do with _him?_" Mello was aggravated. He'd spent so much time trapped, locked away in Matt's house, and now the brunette just kept on calling and calling…

"And what, might I ask, would you define as: _wrong_?" Taro questioned, looking rather amused by the miniature rant Mello had just unleashed.

"Wrong…? Oh…I didn't mean it like that…I mean, you know, I haven't done anything wrong, at all, not specifically in your apartment…I can't think of anything that I could do here that would qualify as wrong," Mello admitted, looking to his feet.

Taro chuckled a bit at this, Mello was not one for eye contact when he felt he was saying something that he either shouldn't say, wasn't sure of, or was embarrassed about.

"Ah Mello, you always seem to do this to me…"

"Do what?" He mumbled, his cheeks slightly pink from having implied something in his previous remark.

Taro sighed,

"Indirectly _seducing_ me," he told him in a teasing voice.

Mello's cheeks were on fire.

His heart thundered in his chest at speeds he'd previously thought impossible.

Taro made no movements towards him. He just sat there beside him, completely calm.

Mello didn't know what to do, or say. Taro's calm atmosphere was going to drive him nuts. Here they were, just sitting together, and Mello felt his heart was about to tear through his chest at any given moment.

Taro noticed Mello's tense atmosphere, and gently picked up one his hands, holding it in his.

If it was possible, Mello's cheeks darkened.

Taro could feel his racing pulse through his hand now.

Taro chuckled slightly at the reaction he had gotten from the blonde male beside him, and tenderly raised Mello's hand to his lips, kissing the back of it gently.

Mello heard himself let out the tiniest of gasps at the surprise of the sudden contact.

Taro smiled against the skin of his hand after hearing this.

As gently as was possible, he put Mello's hand back down, and rose from the couch.

"So, how about a movie?" He questioned with that same old gentle smile of his.

Mello didn't answer.

Taro put in a horror movie, quieting the volume a bit so that it wasn't too loud. He turned off the lights, and returned to the couch. This time, he lied himself down, behind Mello, who he slowly coaxed into lying down with him. Taro's arm went around Mello, and they lied there, watching the movie. Mello's heart thundered in his chest at the feeling of Taro's body behind him.

Nothing was really happening between them at that point, other than the closeness at which they were lying together. So why was Mello's heart racing? He rolled himself over onto his back, tired of lying on his side, and turned his head to look up at Taro. The male was watching the movie intently. Mello shifted his gaze to the males scar, still wondering what had caused it in the first place. His eyes travelled down his neck, collarbone, and to his chest. It was rising and falling steadily. The material held to his figure, showing that he had muscles beneath the fabric. Not big, buff, show-off muscles. But firm muscles, nonetheless.

Mello found his hand moving on it's own accord. His fingers reached up, tracing themselves slowly down Taro's neck. Taro tilted his eyes, without moving his head, and, without Mello noticing, he watched as the male traced him. Mello's delicate touch ran along Taro's collarbone, then his chest. The movements were slow, and sensual. Mello traced along the muscles he could feel beneath the fabric, he traced along Taro's side, and stopped when Taro breathed in sharply.

Mello's fingers returned to Taro's chest once more.

"You know," the voice told him gently,

"For someone who seemed so rough in the beginning…You seem to be a rather gentle kind of person…"

Mello looked up, and Taro placed a hand on his cheek.

"The ice is melting," he told him with a smile.

He was looking Mello right in the eyes. He looked as though he was debating something, and the blonde wondered what it was…

Until Taro leaned down, pressing his lips to Mello's gently. The movement was swift. At first, the blonde wasn't sure how to respond. But then, his body took control of itself, and he returned the kiss. He surprised Taro by sliding his tongue along the males lips, and of course, the male answered by allowing him an entrance.

Shortly afterwards the kiss grew feverish, and Mello adjusted his body to face the male he was lying next to. Tongues swirled, and fought for dominance. Taro's hand slid under the material of Mello's shirt. Mello's breathing hitched slightly because of this.

Taro broke away, taking the chance to travel across Mello's neck in feathery kisses, taking a mental note of where Mello's breathing hitched when his lips brushed certain places on his skin. He took the lead, shifting their position by tucking Mello beneath him, and pinning him to the couch. Not once did he stray from his actions.

His lower body ground against Mello's lower body, and Mello couldn't stop the sound as it left his lips.

Liking the reaction, Taro did it again, only this time, he made the movement slower than before, extending the sound of the moan that slipped from Mello's lips. Mello was grinding back, pressing up against Taro, wanting the friction again…

--

When he awoke the next day, he was lying on his side, shirtless. Somehow, his pants had found their way back to his body, but his vest was on the coffee table. He was lying against something warm, and he noted that it was Taro, who was also shirtless. Rolling over, the blonde picked up his vest, which fell to the floor, dragging something else with it with a gentle, _'thud.' _

He picked up the object. His cell phone.

He flipped it open and his eyes went wide…

_46 missed calls, 23 voice messages._

'_Oh…Damnit…' _He thought in silence. He could only imagine how the messages must sound.

Peeling himself from the male, he wandered into the washroom with his phone still in hand. Upon entering the room, he closed the door behind him, and locked it.

He checked the voice mail inbox.

_Matt. Matt. Matt. Matt. Matt. Matt. Matt. Matt. Matt. Matt…_

_Naomi…_

_Matt. Matt. Matt. _

_Naomi. Matt. Matt. Matt. Matt. Matt. Matt._

_Unknown number._

_Matt…_

The blonde swallowed hard. Scrolling back to the top, he pressed a button, to hear what had been said.

'_Hey Mello, it's Matt, call me back when you get this, okay? Bye.'_

Well, that was painless.

The next two carried out basically the same way. Message number four played next,

'_Hey Mello…Look, I know screwed up…Big time, okay? But, can you please call me back? Bye.'_

Three more sounded similar, the worry growing in each one.

'_Mello? Look, is your phone off or something? I'm sorry, for what happened…I snapped, I know I snapped, but you need to call me back, because you're starting to freak me out a bit…'_

His worry only _grew_ in his ninth message, and by his tenth, it was evident that he was freaking out,

'_Mello? Come on, answer your damn phone…Please…I'm scaring Naomi, she's trying to calm me down, but it's not working, please…Just, answer to at least one of these messages…Please…'_

The eleventh message was sent by Naomi herself,

'_Mello? It's Naomi. Look, Matt's freaking out over here…I'm worried about him…So, when you get this, do me a favour and call him back, or text him, or something, anything…Okay? Bye.'_

Three more worried Matt messages, and Naomi's voice returned,

'_Mello, we're worried about you over here, okay? You have to make contact…Even if it's not directly to Matt…We could always re-lay a message to him, okay? Just, respond to something. You're seriously freaking us out. Bye…'_

And then Matt was there again, still freaking out. For a full six messages.

And then came the twenty-second message left on his phone…

'_Mello? This is Haruka. I'm sorry if I've caused you to become distant from Matt…You two seemed fine before I came along…Please, understand that you do need to contact someone, whether it be Matt, or one of the others. Everyone is worried…'_

And then one more near-hysterical message from Matt…

'_Mello…Please…I'm so sorry…'_

The blonde shut the phone, and stuffed it into his pocket.

Turning his attention to the mirror over the sink, he stared at his reflection, and watched as his eyes returned to their solid state.

_Once again, the ice had formed._

Sighing in frustration, the blonde unlocked and opened the bathroom door, stepping out into the hallway. He headed back into the living room, and grabbed his vest from the floor, slid into it and did up the buttons. Quietly, he wrote out a note when he found a pen and a pad of paper. He left the notepad standing upright, and walked out the door.


	8. 8

He pulled on some fresh clothes, and blow dried his hair, brushing it out so that it sat neatly on his head. He'd come home to freshen up, and now that he looked a little more decent, he decided it was time to go over to calm the frenzy his absence had caused.

--

There was a knock at the door, and Naomi looked over to the brunette who hadn't even stirred from his position. He was sitting on the couch, with his knees pulled to his chest, his arms were crossed over the tops of his knees, and his head was resting against his arms. Sighing, she moved towards the door, and opened it.

"You're here!" She announced, relief crossing her features. She hugged the blonde male,

"You have to help him," she told him quietly.

When she pulled away, he nodded silently, kicking off his shoes. She re-entered the living room, and sat down on the smaller couch. The blonde came in and headed to the other side of the room, towards the long couch. He hesitated for only a moment, before he sat down in front of the male.

"Idiot," he muttered.

The brunettes head shot up, and the blonde registered that the males eyes were red and puffy behind his goggles. So, he'd cried recently…

"Mello?"

"No, who else _could_ I be? _Idiot_."

The brunette shifted his position, sitting up on his feet. He didn't hesitate as he reached out, and wrapped Mello up into his arms, hugging him closely. Not needing to be told, Naomi got up and wandered into the kitchen, to text her girlfriend.

"_Jeeze_ Matt! Let go already!"

"Mello…I'm so sorry…"

Mello froze. There were tears in Matt's voice.

"Look, I got all your voice messages, okay? I'm sorry for freaking you out the other night, but I'm here, aren't I? So calm down already."

Matt let go slowly, and moved his goggles to the top of his head, wiping at his eyes fiercely.

Mello watched in amazement. He hadn't seen Matt cry before. The brunette was usually blowing off things with a joke and a bunch of laughter.

This was definitely _not_ what he had been _expecting._

"You heard all of that?" Matt questioned, regaining a little bit of his composure.

"Yeah. You freak out worse than a _female._"

"I resent that comment," Naomi's voice sounded from within the kitchen.

"…" Mello blinked, confused.

Matt's eyes questioned him, as he spoke the words,

"Mello? What's the matter?"

"…I forgot Naomi was here."

Like the bullet from a gun, Matt's laughter shot out.

--

He wondered why it bothered him so much. Seeing those two together. And, he wondered if it bothered the brunette, to see him with Taro.

"Earth to Mello," Matt's voice teased from his left.

"Wha--?" He looked up, confused.

"Your boyfriend is calling you, for about the third time now…You really need to stop zoning out."

Mello did his best to not flinch at the term Matt referred to Taro as. _Boyfriend. _It wasn't that it wasn't _true_…Because, it _was_, when he thought about it. They spent a lot of time together.

"Sorry," Mello muttered, flipping open the phone, and hitting 'talk.'

"Hey, sorry about that…I zoned out."

"It's okay. Look, I wondered if I could discuss something with you?"

"Uh…Sure…"

"Well, the fair is up and running in two days…And I know that this is Matt's night to hang out with you…But, I wondered if he wouldn't mind all of us discussing going together this Friday?"

"…I'll have to ask him…"

Matt sighed hearing that sentence.

"Can I call you back, Taro?"

"Actually, if you two pull up at the café there, I'll just get out and we could discuss it there…"

"Wha--?" Mello turned himself around in his seat, and looked hard out the back windows. Sure enough, the car behind theirs was one he recognized well,

"Taro, I think that's _technically_ called _stalking._"

"I didn't do it on purpose…I was coming home from visiting my sister…And, then I saw Matt's car, and you in the passengers seat, and I couldn't resist," the smile in the males voice was evident.

Mello turned himself back around, just in time to see Matt looking away from his rear view mirror.

"Matt, pull up at the next café…Taro wants to talk to us, he came up with some plans…"

The brunette did as he was asked, and watched as the car behind him did the same thing. Sighing again, he pulled into a parking space, and the other car appeared on the right side of his.

Mello opened his car door, and stepped out. When Taro did the same thing, and closed his door behind him, Mello looked over to the other side of Matt's car. The brunette was still sitting in the car, one hand still on the wheel.

Frustrated, the blonde slammed his door shut, and walked around to the other side of the car, ripping the door open. The brunette looked over to him.

The blonde felt it, and knew he couldn't stop it from happening. His cheeks changed colour. His heart thundered wildly in his chest. The emerald orbs stayed locked on his own icy blue ones.

'_Damnit,' _he cursed silently,

'_One look, and I'm done in…I can't keep letting this happen…I have to have some control…'_

"Matt, get out of the car," he ordered. His voice didn't sound as strong as he wanted it to.

But, the brunette didn't object, and instead stepped out of the vehicle, shutting his door behind him. He took a moment, allowing himself to regain his composure, before he turned to face Mello's boyfriend. The male was leaning against the drivers side of his own car, and his eyes looked amused.

Mello didn't like the silence that suddenly surrounded him, as both Taro and Matt watched each other. Taro, who looked amused for some reason, was leaning against his cars door. It wasn't a rude type of amusement either. It was more like…The blonde tried to come up with a way of describing it to himself…

_Like, Taro had just witnessed something he'd known about, happening._

Matt, on the other hand, was staring at the male, studying him, taking in the face, and very obvious keeping a straight face, so that it didn't turn into one of hatred. His emerald orbs had solidified, and that was a very noticeable change. Even with the goggles in the way.

Mello realized he was standing closer to Matt than he was to Taro, and cursed himself silently. He started towards the café, walking past Matt in doing so,

"Come on you two, lets go inside instead of standing in the parking lot like a couple of idiots."

At the blondes command, Matt turned and followed him. Taro held back for a moment longer, before he too followed the two inside.

--

Mello was sitting in the booth next to Matt, with Taro sitting on the other side, across from Mello. The three had all ordered soft drinks. None of them felt hungry at the moment, and there was too much tension in the air for any of them to gain an appetite.

"Taro, the plans?" Mello questioned, frustrated with the silence that had surrounded the group.

"Right. I explained to Mello briefly over his cell phone, that the fair is up in a couple of nights…So, I was wondering if…"

Matt waited, his jaw clenched tightly.

"…We could all go together?" Taro finished, watching Matt's face for a reaction.

The brunettes jaw unclenched, and his eyes became confused.

"He means, the three of us, plus Seiko, Haruka, Naomi, and Kei," Mello informed him, knowing exactly where the confusion was lying.

"All…Of us?" Matt questioned. His eyes lost the confusion, and it was replaced by thoughtfulness.

"I was talking to my sister about it already…She said it would probably be in my best interest to speak to the two of you…She knows the siblings well enough to know that neither of them will care, and she told me that she can't see how Haruka would mind either…"

Matt didn't bother to question who Taro was related to. The way he'd worded what he'd just said, made it very clear that Kei was his sister.

"I wouldn't mind going," Mello stated, taking a sip from his pop.

"Guess that leaves you then, Matt…" Taro's attention turned to the brunette.

Matt was quiet. He knew he already had issues just trying to be calm around Taro, without getting angry about Mello being with him. Then again, if they were all there, as a group…Naomi could calm him, if she needed to. Mello could scold him, if necessary. And, there would be a lot of distractions in a place that big…

"I don't see how it could be a problem," Matt answered simply, taking a sip from his soft drink.

"Then it's settled?" Taro questioned

The brunette answered with a curt nod.


	9. 9

The blonde sighed, as he flipped his phone shut. He was bored beyond belief. And there was no one to take the boredom away. He was lying out on his couch, staring at the television, but not really taking in what it was he was watching. He was far too busy with his thoughts.

Taro was out for the day, applying for a new job. He'd quit his first one due to issues with his manager. Matt was accompanying Haruka to Okasa, to see Haruka's Father. Naomi, Seiko, and Kei were off visiting Naomi and Seiko's parents. Kei had gone with them, after being invited along.

So, that left him alone to rot.

He sighed, pointlessly changing the channel.

It would be a long day.

--

When the blonde awoke the next day, he went about his usual morning routines. When he was fully clothed and his hair was blown dry, he stepped out of the washroom, and wandered into his kitchen.

At first, he thought he was hallucinating.

The brunette was sitting there, watching him as he came into his line of sight. It seemed so unlikely that the blonde blinked, thinking maybe that would cause the hallucination to stop.

_But it didn't._

He felt like he'd gone underwater. His own thoughts seemed so muffled to him. Was he having some weird dream? Wasn't the brunette supposed to _still_ be with Haruka today? Why was he here? That was, assuming he was even here at all…

"Mello?"

The voice…It was bringing him up towards the surface, but the water was still in the way…

"Michael."

His head broke through the waves.

Shaking his head from side to side, he cleared out his thoughts. Then he looked back to where he'd last seen the brunette.

"Michael, are you okay?"

"Yeah…I'm fine…"

"Naomi gave your boyfriend my number. He called me and told me to save you from boredom for the day, until we all meet up at the fair later. He was thinking we could all meet up around six thirty?"

"Six thirty?" The blonde looked to the clock. Two o'clock. That gave them a few hours to hang out in the meantime…

--

When they arrived at the fair, Mello's eyes scanned the crowds for a certain dark haired male. His search seemed utterly pointless, especially when his eyes kept gazing over to the back Matt's head…

"Earth to Mello, can you hear me?"

_He stopped moving._

The male stepped around him, and looked over his features briefly, before that amusement from earlier returned to his eyes again.

"You zoned out again?"

The golden blonde blinked, confused, and then regained his composure enough to answer. He nodded.

"Well, if you don't hurry up, we'll lose track of your group…They're almost at the line-up, and you're still way back here…"

Mello couldn't seem to get his feet to move again. He was aware of Taro, standing in front of him, his amusement fading to one of confusion and concern. He was aware of other people passing him, the closer they were, the longer they stared. He was aware of Taro's hands placing themselves on his shoulders and the male gently shaking him, stopping, and calling out to the group. He was aware of Kei and Naomi, as Taro released Mello, and Naomi instead stood before him, snapping her fingers. He was aware of Seiko and Haruka wandering over, and both of them looking worried, and confused at the exact same moment. He saw Naomi disappear. Heard her yelling to someone in the distance…

_But he felt like he was underwater…_

Thundering footsteps, as someone ran, getting closer. Calling his name.

When the person reached him, he heard his name, closer now. The water was shallower here, and he could hear him, better than the others. But it wasn't enough. He saw the crowd departing, and felt his own feet moving. Felt a hand on his wrist.

The brunette slid him into the back seat of the car, and sat down beside him, shutting and locking the door behind himself.

The blonde became aware of the brunettes arms, planted firmly around him. Became aware of his head lying on the brunettes chest. The brunettes lips neared his ear, and his voice broke through the waves,

"Wake up, Michael."

_The water evaporated. _

The blondes hand instinctively clutched the fabric of the brunettes shirt tightly. He hid his face deeper into said shirt, and the brunettes arms tightened around him.

"What happened to you? That's twice today that you've done that…" The brunette murmured.

"I think I had an epiphany," the blonde murmured back.

"Oh? And that was--?"

A familiar tune broke the sentence, as Matt reached into his pocket to retrieve his cell phone.

"Matt, are you and Mello okay?" Naomi's voice urged over the phone.

"Yes, we're fine. He seems to have come back to reality, so we'll be joining you all again shortly."

"Alright, hurry up though…I'm trapped here with only Kei to keep me sane…Which is difficult when you have an overly-enthusiastic Haruka, plus my brother."

"Okay, we're coming," he hung up, returning the phone to his pocket.

"They're waiting?" Mello questioned, loosening his death grip on Matt's shirt.

"Mm. We should go catch up with them."

Mello nodded, detaching himself slowly from Matt.

--

"What ride are we going on first?" Haruka questioned, eagerly looking around at all the surrounding rides. Everyone had gotten stamps for the evening.

"Calm down there Haruka, you'll waste all your energy before the night is done at this rate," Seiko's voice answered from the males right.

"I can't help it, I'm excited!"

"Okay, okay, lets go on the bumper cars for now," Seiko suggested, watching as Haruka jumped up and down at the very name of the ride.

"I'm up for that," Naomi agreed, looking over to Kei, who nodded.

Everyone else seemed to be in favour of it too.

--

Mayhem appeared on the bumper car floor. Mello was on a hunt, attacking Matt, and Taro. And both of them attacked him back. Taro also attacked his sister, Kei, who was being attacked by her girlfriend, Naomi. And Naomi also attacked Seiko, who was attacking Haruka. It was an endless terror, and anyone else who happened to be out on the floor at the time stayed away, for fear of being brutalized by the ruthless group.

When the ride came to its end, and everyone climbed out. Discussion rose on which ride would be next. Some were in favour of spinning rides, while others voted towards the giant swinging ship. Soon, the group had separated with only Mello and Matt going towards the spinning ride, while the rest took off for the swinging boat, agreeing to meet up by the bumper cars when the rides ended.

The blonde and brunette climbed into a seat together, pulling the curved bar across their laps, and waiting quietly for the ride to start. As the rest of the passengers passed by, the brunettes voice broke the silence,

"Just like old times, huh Mello?"

The blonde smiled a little at the comment, nodding,

"Yeah, like old times."

_And then the ride began._


	10. 10

**The night was long, and full of laughter, and harassment among the group. And for Mello, it was also filled with tension. His chest hurt to a degree that seemed indescribable. A ripping feeling was tearing over the left side of his chest, and it would fade in and out. It was strongest when he was around both Matt and Taro at the same time.**

"**Hey you guys, look at that!" Naomi announced, pointing towards a platform with a triangular roof overtop of it. There was someone playing cds, over a stereo system, and people were walking up the steps onto the platform to dance.**

"**Wow, that's a big stage…" Kei commented, watching as the d.j switched cds, changing the beat from a fast one, to a slow one instead. The group had wandered closer, curious, and rain had started to fall. The d.j spoke out over the microphone, before he allowed the music to play,**

"**We're going to slow it down a bit…This is an English song, with a nice beat…"**

_**And then the music began.**_

**Haruka's eyes grew wide with surprise, and his crooked grin spread over his face, before he began to gently sing along.**

"**You know this one, Haruka?" Seiko questioned quietly, trying not to disturb the males song.**

**Haruka nodded, not missing a note. Matt and Seiko exchanged a glance, and Seiko nodded.**

"**Come on Haruka," Matt's voice kicked in as he grabbed the males hand, and tugged him towards the stage. Haruka stopped singing, laughed, and went along like a child. Kei and Naomi followed the two. Taro looked out of the corner of his eye to Mello, who was watching the platform. He returned his gaze to the platform, before he leaned against a tree,**

"**They all look good dancing like that, don't you think?"**

"**Yeah," Seiko answered from the other side of Mello, in response to Taro.**

"**I know a bit of English, so I understand the lyrics…This is one weird slow song…" **

"**I was born in England, and raised there for a while…And you're right, it's weird," Mello answered Taro's voice, as if from habit.**

"**Born in England huh? Well, there's something I didn't know about you," Taro teased.**

"**I don't tell people that a whole lot, because I'm not usually one for making new friends."**

"**Ah, that's understandable enough."**

_**Have I found you, flightless bird?**_

"Haruka looks like he's enjoying himself up there," Seiko commented gently.

"Yeah," Taro agreed.

"He needs that, you know? Someone who's going to care about him, like Matt…"

Mello could feel it. The thundering in his chest. The tension inside of the left side of his chest, building up, as he watched Matt and Haruka dancing around and around…It hurt so badly, he couldn't bear to watch. Before he knew what he was doing, his legs started to move. One minute, the platform was before him, and Matt was twirling about with Haruka. The next thing he knew, he was running, not entirely aware of where it was he was going. The rain blinded him, made it harder and harder to see, since he was running directly into it.

He hadn't gone very far when he heard the males voice calling out to him. And he could identify his hurried footsteps as he chased him.

_The same voice that had broken through the waves, was now pushing him below the surface._

--

Seiko wandered up the stairs, onto the stage. He headed over to Haruka, who had been abandoned mid-dance.

"You alright, Haruka?" He questioned, placing a hand on the males shoulder.

Haruka nodded, and wrapped his arms around the back of Seiko's neck,

"Dance with me?"

Seiko nodded, his arms wrapping around the males waist. Slowly, they moved in unison.

"You sure you're okay?" Seiko questioned again,

"You're awfully quiet…"

"Mm. Just worried."

"Worried?"

"Yeah. This had all better work out."

Seiko understood then exactly what it was that Haruka was referring to.

--

The blonde kept pushing himself further, but the brunette caught up, and grabbed his wrist, forcing him to face him.

_**Have I found you, flightless bird?**_

The emerald orbs were close to him. Closer than he'd originally thought they would be.

"Mello…"

"Let go," he ordered.

"No. Tell me what's wrong."

"What do you think is wrong?"

"Mello, don't play games with me, just tell me what's the matter."

The blonde growled,

"_YOU! YOU AND HIM! _EVER SINCE _HE _CAME ALONG, THINGS WENT _UGLY_ BETWEEN _YOU _AND_ ME! _YOU LEFT ME _ALONE, _MATT!" "Mello…"

"YOU LEFT ME ALO-_alone_…And I didn't know what to _do_ anymore…Because suddenly he was _everything, _and I--" The blonde's voice had become quiet, and he was forcing the sound out for the brunette to hear. He swallowed before he continued,

"…_I hated him for that…"_

"…Mello…" The brunette sighed,

"Can you give me a moment to think of how I want to word this?"

The blonde was confused, but he nodded.

The silence was brutal, as Mello awaited the explanation Matt was trying to sort out the details behind. Sighing, the brunette looked over to the blonde once more,

"This is going to take a while. It's something you have to go further back to understand."

The blonde didn't answer.

"Well…My Mother, and Haruka's Mother - Hana…They were friends…Actually, when I think about it in greater depth, Hana _depended_ on my Mother, in order to stay sane, and in order to stay _alive. _You see…My Mom, she was always very positive, even in the worst of times. And, when she had me, her life seemed to brighten up even more. Hana wanted _exactly that. _I wasn't much of a crier. I was a quiet baby. And a few months later, Hana was pregnant.

My Mother was both ecstatic and horrified. Hana was known as suicidal by plenty of people, and they worried what going through pregnancy would do to her. But Hana surprised everyone, by gently massaging her stomach with a loving expression, and being very careful, and gentle…She was a whole new person for those next nine months. My Mother was still worried deep down, but she didn't let it show. Instead, she provided Hana with anything she may have needed at the time. Haruka was born in the month he was supposed to arrive in, and his birthday follows mine by a week exactly. One year and one week apart. His Mother even let my Mom name him.

Like I said before. I was a quiet baby. Haruka…Was colicky. He could cry for hours and hours on end, with no reason behind it at all. My Mother was instantly worried…Not because Haruka was colicky - seeing as that does happen - but she was more worried about how his Mother would handle it…She _didn't _take it _well. _For a full _year, _he stayed colicky…And there was no real reason as to why he stayed that way for so long…But it drove her to the verge of insanity…

Eventually, he settled out, and she was able to get better sleep, but raising him was still difficult…There was potty training, and then the fact that children have a tendency to get into _everything_…He was unstoppable. Often, he'd get left at our house, so that I would have someone to play with. Usually young children like to play _near _other children, and not directly _with_ other children…But that wasn't the case for him. Endless hours he and I sat moving toy trucks and cars across my carpeted bedroom floor. He was free to be noisy for long periods at my house, and we enjoyed it.

When he was four, he was enrolled for kindergarten. I was in a different grade of kindergarten, and was there to tell him that he would love it. I was always a year ahead of him, so I was always able to help him with his homework throughout the years. But, when he was in the first grade, at the age of six, and I was in the second grade at the age of seven…His Father left. He didn't _depart, _or anything like that…He just, _walked out _the door one day, and never turned back.

His Mother blamed him for it, even though he was just a child. A very _young_ child. I won't forget that day. My Mother picked him up and brought him to our house for the night, because Hana had called…And my Mother could hear him crying loudly in the background.

Hana had hit him, _hard._

From then on, I was the person he turned to whenever his Mother hit him…She became unhealthy to very great lengths, but refused to take any form of treatment…Whenever something went wrong, Haruka got the blame. She's the reason his jaw is crooked. One day, she punched him, and it dislocated. A part of the jawbone actually chipped off, and he somehow managed to spit it out when he was spitting out blood. The Doctors got it back to how it was supposed to be, and didn't seem to notice they'd missed that one little piece that wasn't there. It never straightened itself out, but it did mend well enough to function properly.

I was there at his Mother's funeral."

The blonde had been staring at the ground, but he looked up at this comment.

"His Mother finally got away with it. He was sleeping, and he heard a loud noise…It hurt his ears, he said. He got out of bed a few minutes later, he'd been too scared to move at first. When he went to his Mother's room, she was lying on the floor, a gun in hand, empty. One part of her head was blown open, and there was blood on the wall…

He was seven."

The blonde allowed that to sink in. At seven years old, your parents are _very important people. _Without them, what do you have?

"He called us first. He told my Mom, _'Mommy,' _he often called her that, _'I think my Mommy is with the angels.' _So my Mom called an ambulance. She told them the address, and said she was on her way over there to pick up the child. She explained that she'd been friends with the woman, and for years had stopped her attempts, and if anyone knew the child, it was my Mom and I. She woke me up, left me home, and came back with Haruka, who immediately attached himself to me. That summer was dedicated to me getting him to detach enough so that he could still walk on his own two feet, and turn to me in times of need.

His Father was contacted, and he returned to the town. He brought up Haruka from then on, though Haruka still spent most of his time at my house anyways. What was the most shocking thing of all, was what Haruka did at his Mother's funeral.

He _cried. _We all expected he might be neutral about it, maybe even _happy_ to finally be _free. _But instead, he cried, and told her how sorry he was for not being the son she wanted…"

The brunette paused,

"When he came back, and you met him…I was happy to see him again. I've always considered him my brother. He and his Father had gone travelling for the past couple of years, so I hadn't seen him for a while, though we did keep in touch. Ironically, you met Taro that same night…"

Mello thought back to this and realized Matt was right.

"Naomi told me to sit back, and watch. To wait it out. But the minute he stepped into your life, I wanted nothing more than to show him that you and I were attached…I became more and more obsessive…And, I fell apart…"

"And Haruka and you aren't--?"

"No. We're not."

"Then why did Seiko say that back there…About Haruka needing someone like you?!"

The brunette smiled,

"Didn't you notice how no one chased us? How as soon as you left, I followed? Taro even stayed behind…"

"What are you implying?" Mello growled.

"I'm not implying anything, Mello. This, all of this…Do you really think this whole day has been a coincidence?"

The blondes eyes hardened in confusion.

The brunette sighed,

"We knew, all of us knew, that you thought that Haruka and I were dating…But, Seiko's been dating Haruka for the past _month_ now. You haven't been around them enough to notice it…Seiko and I have an understanding. He is Haruka's boyfriend. I am Haruka's brother, in a sense," the brunette paused,

"How much as Taro told you about his past?"

"Why does that suddenly matter?"

"Because, he plays a part in this too."

"What're you--?"

"Mello, listen. You wanted answers," Matt's voice cut him off,

"The other day, when everyone was _busy, _for the day...There was a _purpose_ behind that…We went to Taro's apartment…"

The blondes eyes grew.

**--Matt's Description of what happened--**

"What do you need this time, Kei?"

"This is all a crazy mess…Haruka and Seiko are dating…And Mello thinks Haruka and Matt are dating…Because they're very close…And Mello and Matt have fallen apart at the seams of their friendship…"

"And you want me to help you all in fixing this?" He questioned, already knowing the answer.

Kei nodded, her expression guilty.

"We feel terrible for asking, really, we do," Naomi cut in,

"It's going to hurt…And--"

"I'll be okay," Taro cut in,

"Even Kei could tell you that."

Kei went to her brother, hugging him, before she turned to face her girlfriend,

"Taro's emotions are stronger than most peoples would be…He used to be a hustler," Kei's voice was quiet.

"We needed money at the time," he shrugged indifferently.

Naomi was taken by surprise, and she couldn't help but glancing over the scar. Taro knew she was curious, so his fingertips brushed over the old wound,

"It's dangerous work."

"And it's because of my brother that I'm still here," Kei said, her voice remembering a distant, and terrible time.

**--End Matt's Description--**

"So you're saying, that all of this…Was planned out from yesterday on?" The blonde had lost his edge, and his voice was back to normal.

The brunette nodded, setting his eyes downcast, and releasing Mello's wrist.

"Why did everyone do all of this then? What purpose could possibly be served?" The blonde paused, thinking it over,

"What is it you want from me, Matt?" He whispered. The brunette didn't answer at first. Instead, he moved his goggles to hang around his neck. His eyelids slipped back over his eyes, revealing his emerald orbs…Though this time, they were full of emotion. After allowing the male before him to witness this, he sighed, and stepped closer, pressing his forehead against the blondes gently.

"The same thing I've wanted for a long time, though I probably don't deserve anything at this point," he murmured.

The blonde didn't know how to react to this. His cheeks were hot, his hands felt shaky, and his heart was threatening to jump out of his chest. The blondes eyes shifted down, "And what is it you're referring to?" Mello's voice was barely a whisper…

The brunette opened his eyes again, and in a very swift movement, tilted the blondes head back, and leaned in until their lips were nearly touching,

"You, Michael," Matt's voice told him gently, before he closed what little space was left between their lips, and shut his eyes, hoping for the best.

The blonde felt a series of emotions sweeping through him all at once. He felt anger, for the brunette not having said something sooner, but that washed away with the guilt in what it was he was doing, which lead to the sadness that he'd been let go, and had lost the love of someone else he'd cared for, which lead to his relief about the things he'd never known, and finally, to the happiness, in being able to return what was currently being given to him.


	11. 11

The blonde was breathless as the brunette pulled back from their kiss. The whole evening had worked out nicely for them both.

"Matt?" The blonde questioned. The brunette was staring at him.

"Your phone is ringing, Mello," he answered quietly, stepping back a step, so the male could answer it.

The blonde pulled out his cell phone, and flipped it open. He knew this tune, and yet he could even _begin_ to understand why it would be playing. He hit the 'talk' button, pressing the phone to his ear,

"Hello?"

"Come outside for a minute?"

"…I'll have to as--"

"I know, I know. Ask him."

The blonde looked over to the brunette, who returned the gaze with confused eyes. After a moment of silence, the brunette registered that he was being asked for permission to be released momentarily, and nodded.

"I'll be out in a minute, let me get my shoes back on."

"I'll wait."

The blonde flipped the phone shut, placing it in the brunettes hand. He looked at the blonde, confused.

"Hold onto it for me…I'll be back," the blonde murmured, heading towards the door. The brunette caught the blondes wrist, whipping him back around to face him. He held him close, securing him in his embrace.

"Matt?" The blonde question, confused. The brunette pressed his lips gently against the blondes neck.

"Matt…" He whispered. He could feel his heart hammering in his chest.

The brunette smiled, feeling the blondes pulse in his neck. He pulled away again, and went to go sit on the couch.

The blonde took that chance to slip on his shoes, and head outside.

--

The male was so familiar, it churned a part of him, forcing him to remember how they'd been practically tied together…

"Taro," he managed to say the name, but barely loud enough for the male to hear.

"Mello, come on over, I wanted to talk to you about something briefly…"

The blonde nodded, and wandered over to the front of the car. He stood beside the male, listening, but not looking. It eased the pain inside to not see the one he'd hurt so terribly.

"You two are locked at the hip again?" Taro questioned. There was evidence of a smile in his voice.

"You talk to your sister and Naomi way too much," Mello replied, shaking his head from side to side,

"But yeah, things are back to the way they used to be…Minus a few things of course…"

"A few things?" Taro questioned.

"You. Me. Us," Mello murmured. It hurt to think about.

"Ahh, that. Well, I'm not gone you know, I'm still here. And I'm staying, as a friend," there were no questions in the males voice. And Mello couldn't help but smile a little bit.

There was a silence…But it wasn't awkward, despite everything they'd been through…

"Here," the males voice broke through.

He was holding out a rectangular shaped object. There was an envelope on top of it, taped to it. The blonde accepted it, and stared at it. His name was written out on the envelope, in Taro's familiar scrawl.

"Did you forget?" Taro questioned, amused by the blondes confused expression.

His ears were greeted by silence.

"Mello?" The male stepped out in front of him, sighing,

"Are you okay?"

_Still, silence._

"Mello?" The male waited, getting anxious.

"You didn't have to do this, you know…" Mello mumbled, staring down at the box in his hands.

Relieved, Taro smiled,

"This is nothing. We all pitched in earlier to give you the biggest present of all, didn't we?"

The blonde looked up, confused.

"Didn't he already tell you? As of yesterday…Everything that's happened today, was all planned out. Naomi didn't just happen to _miraculously_ find that stage. It was in the paper, which you _- thankfully - _don't read. Matt purposely asked Haruka out onto the dance floor…He and Seiko arranged for it to happen…Haruka actually _was_ surprised at the song that started playing though. But my conversation with Seiko, while the others were dancing, while you stood there watching…It was on _purpose_…I knew you loved him, more than anything else…His chasing you, that was planned out too…"

"But none of you could have known that song would play…" Mello argued.

"Actually, that part was planned out too…The d.j from that night? He's my _cousin._"

"…"

"What?"

"Honestly, is there anyone around here that you're _not_ related to?!"

Taro laughed, enjoying the return of the blondes old personality. The blonde growled, then stared at the ground. He couldn't think of anything to say.

Then, the arms were around him, in a gentle embrace,

"You're happy, right?" The voice was at his ear, asking quietly.

The blonde nodded.

"Good. That's what I want. You being happy. And if Matt is the one who makes you happiest, then it only makes the most sense for you to be with Matt."

The blonde didn't know what to say.

"Mello?"

"Yeah?" His voice was quiet. He barely noticed that Taro had moved his head slightly, until that soft whisper told him,

"**Happy birthday." **And a kiss was placed on his cheek.

--

The blonde re-entered his home, placing the box down on the coffee table in his living room. He sat down next to the brunette, wordlessly.

"You have the story in full now," the brunette whispered.

"Yeah…" The blondes voice murmured back.

He watched one of his walls as the headlights from Taro's car tilted, and vanished. The car sped away, and the sound distanced out into a nothingness. As if on cue, rain began to fall…Slowly at first, but with an increasing speed as the time ticked by. Thunder rumbled, and lightning flashed.

The lights flickered, once, twice…

And then it was dark.

The blonde sighed,

"I have candles in my room…I'll go grab some," he muttered, getting to his feet.

The brunette followed this action, and quietly followed the blonde up to his room.

When he got through the doorway, Mello walked over to his dresser, pulling open one drawer at a time, digging through contents. Matt waited in the doorway.

"You're allowed in here my room, you know. You don't have to stand in the doorway like that…" Mello's voice was just loud enough for Matt to hear. The brunette chuckled at this,

"You do realize how that can be taken, right Mello?"

The blonde didn't respond. The brunette realized what the answer to his question was, and quietly entered the room, stepping up behind the male. Gently, carefully, he wrapped his arms around him, holding him close.

It was happening again…Mello's heart hammered in his chest. His hands trembled, his cheeks heated up. It had only taken the brunette a matter of seconds to get him feeling completely unstable. The brunettes lips found the back of the blondes shoulder. The blonde surprised the brunette by sighing.

"Mello? What's wrong?" He murmured against the blondes skin.

"Nothing," Mello lied.

The brunette didn't buy it.

He shifted to rest his forehead against the back of the blondes head. He didn't move from the position as he allowed his mind to wander over things that could possibly be bothering the blonde.

The blonde didn't move, not wanting to disturb whatever trance the brunette had apparently gone into behind him. But the very feeling of the male standing behind him, breathing down his neck like that.

It was a sensation.

"Mello?" The brunettes voice was quiet.

"Yeah?"

"Can you do me a favour?"

"…"

"It's a simple one, I promise."

"…I guess so?"

"…Let me know, if I hurt you."

"What are you going on abou--?" The blondes voice cut out.

The brunettes lips had found their way to the back of the blondes shoulder once more. Only this time, they were tenderly kissing at the flesh that had been burned, and scarred over in Mello's accident.

The blondes heart skipped a beat before it returned, going into overdrive.

The brunette smiled against the skin. His lips moved away from the back of the males shoulder, and his left hand went to the blondes right cheek, turning the males head to face him. The brunettes lips found the blondes before the blonde had a chance to speak.

The brunette spun the blondes body around to face his own, without breaking the kiss. His right leg

went between the blondes legs. His body pressed against the blondes. They were fighting for dominance in their kiss, yet the brunette could feel his victory as he allowed one of his hands to slide up the blondes vest, his fingers brushing over the smooth skin…

The blonde moaned into the kiss, one hand gripping the brunettes shoulder, and the other hand tangling itself in the males hair. He held him as close as he could.

The brunettes knee brushed up against a sensitive area on the blonde, provoking another moan. The brunette liked the reaction he was getting, and kissed the male more intensely as he slid his hand down to take place of his knee.

At the feeling of the contact, the blonde moaned,

"Ma-Matt!" The blonde gripped the brunettes shoulder tighter. There was a hitch in his breathing with every stroke. His body was shaking in pleasure as Matt's hand moved back and forth along Mello's member.

"Ahh!" Mello called out as Matt's tongue traced his ear. His breathing shook. Matt's tongue was slick, smooth, soft…

The friction on Mello's pants was driving him crazy. He wasn't sure if he could take it much longer. Matt seemed to sense this, as his hand travelled upwards, undoing Mello's belt. Then, while Matt undid Mello's pants, he also lowered his head down to Mello's chest, undoing the buttons of Mello's vest with his teeth.

With the material undone, Matt used his free hand to push the vest out of the way. His lips traced down Mello's chest, his tongue circling around one of the males nipples.

"Ahh!! M-Matt!" Mello's voice sounded once more.

Using his tongue to pleasure the upper part of the male, he allowed his other hand to slide back down towards the blondes pants, this time, his fingers slid beneath the material.

His hand began to move along the blondes heated member.

"Ahh!! …Nn!…Ah! Ah!" Mello moaned, loving the feeling of the males hand on his member, stroking it, massaging it. Back and forth…

The brunettes lips traced downwards further…Tracing out the blondes stomach, All the slight signs of muscles…

"Nn!!"

His tongue slid into the males belly button briefly…

"Ahh! Matt!"

To the blondes disappointment, the brunettes hand stopped the stroking, and he hardly noticed as the male pulled downward on the blondes pants.

All he could focus on was the way the brunettes lips were tracing downwards, and over to his hip, the way the male sucked at the flesh there…Before returning to the males stomach…

When he looked down at the brunette, he realized that the male was looking up at him…And there was a smirk playing out across his features…

At first, it confused the blonde…

Until the brunettes tongue slid along his member…

"Ahhh!!" He cried out as the brunette engulfed his member fully. His hips gave an involuntary jerk, and the brunettes hands came up to hold the blondes hips steady, to stop this action from reoccurring.

"Ahh!! M-Mail…" The blonde moaned as the brunettes head bobbed along his member. His tongue swirling along it…

"Ahhh…Nnn…"

Mello could feel it in his stomach…If the brunette didn't move away and soon, he was going to be a total mess…

"M-Mail…I-I'm…"

"I know," the male told him briefly.

"Ahh!! …Nnn…M-Mail!!" The blondes hips wanted to buck, but the brunette held him back from such an action.

The blonde couldn't hold back much longer, the brunettes mouth was so warm, and his tongue was soft…It was running along his member in what could only be described as a heated passion.

"Nn…" He gripped the brunettes hair in his hand. He could the release coming. His gasps grew wild, frenzied…

"Ah! …Ahhh!!…" The blondes voice only made the brunette increase his speed…

"AHHH!!" The blondes hold on the brunette grew tighter. The males head was bobbing faster now…And the blonde knew he couldn't take anymore…

"MAIL!" He screamed as release found him.

The brunette pulled away, swallowing the seed. Both males were panting. The brunette allowed himself to slip out of his crouched position, and sat down, closing his eyes. The blonde returned his pants to his body, before sinking down before the brunette, still panting.

Nothing but their own breathing filled the silence around them. The longer the quiet continued, the more anxious the blonde felt.

He was fighting his pride. He knew what he wanted to do…But his pride was against it. He just wanted to be in the brunettes arms. Allow himself to be held. Allow him to be everything…

But his pride was telling him no.

The blonde sat there, an internal battle raging through his mind…

But he decided to do something he'd never done before.

_He told off his pride._

Crawling over to the brunette, he sat in his lap. He rested the right side of his face over the males heart, listening to it as it jumped around erratically. The brunette wrapped his arms around the blonde slowly.

"Hey Mail?"

"…Yeah?"

"I've always wanted to ask something…"

"What is it?"

"…Why are you so warm?"

The brunette chuckled at this,

"I'm not entirely sure, to be quite honest. Perhaps it's so that I can keep you warm," the brunette teased.

The blonde went pink.

"Very funny Mail," he muttered.

The brunette chuckled,

"I was only teasing you."

But his hold tightened slightly,

"You should already know it by now…That…I love you, Michael…"

The blondes cheeks - which were already pink - turned three shades darker. His left hand clutched the brunettes shirt tightly. He swallowed hard, forcing aside the nerves, best he could. His voice came out just loud enough for the brunette to hear,

"I love you too…Mail…"

The brunette held him even closer, his lips forming a smile against the blondes hair.


	12. Author's Note

**Authors Note**

Okay guys, so this took me forever to write! But it's finally done!

Big thanks to Al! ( AlchemistAreku ) & Kai-chan ( Snowing Petals )

You two really helped me out…Kai-chan was very encouraging, and helped me through the Mello x Taro scene. And Al helped me with the Matt x Mello scene.

Guys, thanks for reading, uhm, everyone should go check out both Al and Kai-chan's fan fictions…To get to their pages, just go to my favourite authors, they'll both be there!


End file.
